


C•O•L•L•E•G•E

by chess_and_politics



Category: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Finn/Sheinkin/Reiss
Genre: F/F, F/M, Here it is! With an actual good plot that I have an actual way of advancing, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-08-20 01:09:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16545914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chess_and_politics/pseuds/chess_and_politics
Summary: Olive, Logainne, Chip, Marcy, and William are all sophomores at Putnam University.  Some of them know each other, some of them don’t, but soon enough they’ll all meet each other.  Friendship isn’t the easiest journey, but in this case it’s a fun one.Edited 6/6/19 - timeline edit, just some minor stuff





	1. The One Where Olive Goes On a Date

Olive was quickly learning that Logainne was extremely opinionated. Extremely. She even had an opinion on the guy that Olive was going out with tonight, which irritated her the most.

"There is no way I'm letting you go on that date. No. Nuh uh, no. It's a bad idea!"

She scoffed and continued looking for her eyeliner. "It's a date, Schwartz. We're not getting married. He seems like a sweet guy."

"Charlito Tolentino? We're talking about the same person, right?" Olive heard the slight lisp that showed up only when Logainne was too emotional to concentrate. "Believe me, Olive, I know this guy. He’s not as nice as he seems!”

"One date. It's one date. That's all I promised." She gave up on finding her eyeliner and picked up her purse.

"That's what every girl promises him, and they've all ended up in his bed. I don't want you to be just one more notch on the bedpost! Olive, you’re pretty and nice and cute. You have your pick of dates on campus. Just not him. Not the guy who sleeps around and doesn't commit. I don't want to see you get hurt like this."

“I’m not going to get hurt! It’s one date. We agreed on dinner. Nothing more.” Olive found her shoes and slipped them on. “You’re getting too worked up over this. You don’t know everything about him. All you hear is gossip. Is that a reputable source?”

“Well-“

“Is it?”

Logainne sighed. “No. It’s not. But I have friends who’ve gone out with him before. You’re not the first person I’ve known to say everything you’ve just said. I won’t stop you from going. Just… don’t let him convince you into more than what you agreed on. I don’t want you to get your heart broken.”

“I won’t, Logainne. I’ll be back by eight. Guaranteed.” Olive walked out the door. 

Logainne spent a few seconds looking aimlessly around the room before sitting at her desk. She pulled out a small notebook and flipped it open. Scanning the pages, she found what she wanted and put the book back where it belonged. She took out her phone. “Unsewn Treasures,” she murmured as she typed the location in. “Let’s see what that’s got to offer.”

—————

Logainne really didn't know what to expect, as her drive to confirm all gossip she heard had led her to both great and terrible things in the past. The campus was on the edge of a nice little town, full of pretty, antiquated architecture and a heavy concentration of local businesses. The storefront looked like many others, with a faded wooden door and a large display window. A mesh body form displayed a plain brown dress with a patchwork vest that, somehow, actually looked nice. Determined to find out what was lying in store, Logainne pushed the door open.

The room was surprisingly spacious. Racks lined the walls, and the clothes hanging on them were organized by color and type. She saw the descending lines of tops, skirts, pants, and dresses.

"I like this place already," she whispered.

Down the center was a display of fabric swatches. Curious, she approached it and felt a small square of green fabric. It was velvety to the touch. She noticed a photo album next to the display and opened it up. "No way," she murmured in disbelief. A woman wore a black and white medieval-style dress. It looked beautifully made, and it seemed to exist in stark contrast with the dress in the window. She turned the page to reveal a man modeling a navy suit jacket with matching pants. "These are handmade?" Logainne wondered aloud.

"Yeah! I think that was a request last.... April? I've got some more recent stuff if you flip to the back of the album!"

Logainne jolted and took a step back, bumping into the person behind her. She stumbled forward into the table as they stepped to the side. "Sorry!" She said, turning to see who she was talking to.

"You're fine! I'm clumsy too." A tall ginger guy grinned down at her. "Leaf Coneybear! I'm one of the owners. I do the sewing!" He thrust his hand out for a handshake,

"Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre. Who are the other owners?" They shook hands. It wasn’t particularly strong, but he had plenty of enthusiasm.

"Uh, there's just one. My sister Marigold manages the business side of things." He shrugged. "I don't understand that stuff, so she takes care of it."

She nodded. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask some questions about your business. I occasionally write articles for our paper on campus, and I think your store is worth writing about." 

He grinned. "Really? Yeah, that'd be great! Lemme get Mari, cause she knows more than me." He ran through the doorway at the back of store. Logainne pulled up a recorder on her phone.

 

She flipped the page and looked over the delicate wedding dress shown. "God, this is absolutely gorgeous,” she murmured to herself. “I can't believe this guy sews like this."

 

Leaf returned with a similarly tall and freckled girl. "This is my sister, Marigold. She handles all the fancy business stuff for me! Mari, this is Logan-"

"Logainne," she corrected.

"Right, thanks! Logainne. She wants to write an article for the paper at her college!"

Marigold gave her a skeptical look. "You're in college? You look fifteen, no offense."

"I'm eighteen and a sophomore on the pre-law track."

"And you write articles?"

"Yes, I'm a firm believer in civic participation. Though, my roommate Olive is an English major, so I have her revise everything I write." She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "I heard about your shop by word of mouth, but an article could bring in more business from the college campus.”

"Well, if it's free," Marigold relented, losing her previous edge. "What would you like to know?"

"I- is it alright if I record the conversation? I find it more useful than trying to write everything down."

"Absolutely. If you're recording, we'll talk upstairs where it's quiet. Here, go through the doorway and up the stairs on the left. I’ll talk to you and Leaf can deal with customers down here." She set a hand on Logainne's shoulder and led her away.

————

Olive waited outside of the dorm building nervously. Chip was coming to get her, right? She unlocked her phone and pulled up their exchange of texts. Right as she was reading through them, a car pulled up and parked. The driver got out and walked over to her. She immediately relaxed when she saw it was Chip.

He grinned at her. “Hey, Olive. You look great.”

She smiled back and glanced down, a little flustered. “Thank you.”

“Shall we?” He said, gesturing at the car. She walked over to the car. He opened the passenger side door for her.

“Thank you,” she said, sitting down carefully. He shut it behind her and walked over to the driver’s side. Once he was seated, he put the car in drive and eased out into campus traffic.

“Was there a place you had in mind?” Chip asked as they headed into town. “Anyplace you like?”

She drummed her fingers on her leg. “Well…” she said hesitantly, “there’s a really nice Mediterranean place on sixth street.”

“Gyro Shop?”

Olive nodded. “I like going there a lot.”

“Sounds good to me!” He glanced at his side mirror before switching lanes. “How’s today been for you?”

“Oh, good! It’s been good. Besides my roommate being kind of…”

“Bitchy?” He offered.

She laughed softly. “Maybe that’s too mean.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Depends on who your roommate is.” He stopped for a stoplight and leaned back in his seat.

“Oh, well, I don’t think you’d know her.”

“Oh, go on. It can’t hurt. I know _plenty_ of people.” When the light changed, he eased his foot on the gas. “It’s not the largest of campuses. I’ve probably met her before.”

“Uh. Logainne?”

“Oh, her.” He turned into a small parking lot. “Yeah, I know Schwartz. I’m not surprised she was bitching about me, then. She and I do _not_ get along.” He looked down the line of cars. “Shit, it’s gonna be hard to find a spot.” He cruised down the lot and turned. “Ooh, there’s a spot. I’ll park, and then we can walk right to the restaurant.”

“Great!” She watched him pull into the spot effortlessly. “So… Do you mind if I ask why you asked me out? I’m… curious.”

“You’re nice, you’re cute, and I wanted to get to know you.” He smiled at her. “Simple as that. I liked you when I met you, and I wanna see where that goes.” He put the car in park and turned the car off. “I’ll get the door for you.” Once they were both out of the car, they headed toward the restaurant.

Olive noticed how he took her hand instinctively. On one hand, it was comforting to have someone holding her hand. On the other hand, she wondered if Logainne was right about his intentions. “Do you come out here often?”

“Into town?” He considered it. “Yeah, I guess. I’ve got a few friends that live out here, so I try to come see them every now and then. And I go out with friends. Do you?”

“Not really.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear with her free hand. “Most of the places I go are on campus, but I mostly hang around my dorm. I’m not much of a social person.”

“Introverted.” He nodded. “I get it. Like my roommate. I don’t think he leaves the room except for class. He’s literally always there.”

“Who’s your roommate?”

“His name’s Will. He’s double majoring in psych and dance. I don’t know why, and he’s yet to give an explanation. What’s your major, again? It kinda slipped my mind since the last time we talked.”

She waved dismissively. “Just English. I’m on the creative writing track. I kind of really love words a lot.”

“Ooh. I just had flashbacks to elementary school spelling bees, and those are not fond memories.”

“Wait, you did spelling bees?”

He grinned and nodded. “Yeah, spelling was my thing when I was a kid. I even went to nationals in sixth grade. So I can verify that words are pretty worthy of your love. Do you read a lot?”

Wow, that was a lot to unpack. He liked spelling? He went to nationals? Was he a reader? Or a writer? Both? “I love reading. Half of my room is just covered in my books. I don’t think my desk can support much more.”

Chip laughed. “Damn, I’m not that extreme, but I can appreciate a good book.” He squeezes her hand. “If I’m lucky enough to get a second date with you, I might take you by a cute little bookstore here in town.”

She felt herself flushing. Was this guy really so perfect? He knew how to charm girls, that was for sure. “That would be great,” she said. Chip opened the door of the restaurant for her and followed her in. “Hi, Rick,” Olive said to the man behind the counter.

He grinned at her. “Olive! My favorite customer. How’s it going? What can I get for you?”

“This is Chip, my… date.” Saying that felt foreign. She looked at Chip. “Are we ordering together or separately?”

“Together. It’s the first date, I invited you. I’m paying.”

The man behind the counter nodded approvingly.

Chip scanned the menu. “Um… I’ll take the lamb kebabs with rice for the side. And a drink.”

Rick rang up his order and looked up at Olive. “And for you? The usual?”

She nodded. “Yes, please.”

Chip smiled. “Wow, you weren’t kidding about coming here often. What’s the total?”

He finished punching in Olive’s order. “Eighteen forty-seven.” Chip fumbled a twenty out of his wallet and handed it over. When he got the change back, he dropped it in the tip jar. “Anyplace in particular you’d like to sit?” He asked Olive.

“There’s a table over by the window,” she suggested. “It’s got a nice view of the town.”

“Sounds great.” He took her hand again and let her lead the way to the table.

————

“Thanks again for talking to me about the store,” Logainne said. “I’ll make sure to get you a copy of the paper.”

“Oh, no need. Leaf and I have a few friends on campus. I’m sure Chip will bring one if I ask.”

She almost dropped her phone in shock. “You know Chip?”

“Yeah?” Marigold eyed her suspiciously. “Why? You’re not that girl he’s been talking about lately, are you?”

“Absolutely not. If he’s been talking about a girl in the last few days, it’s probably my roommate. They’re supposed to be going out tonight.”

Marigold raised an eyebrow. “You don’t sound too pleased.”

“Chip and I have a few classes together. We don’t really get along, and he tried hitting on me at a Halloween thing last year, which I didn’t appreciate. I don’t like him that much.”

“Hey, I don’t blame you. As someone who’s dated him before, he’s kind of a dick.” She shrugged. “I mean, he’s cool, and he gets along well with my brother, so I don’t mind having him hang around. But I get what you mean.”

“You dated him?” Logainne asked.

She nodded. “I was his first girlfriend. I’m a lesbian, just didn’t know it back then.” She paused. “I told you this is a LGBT owned business, right?”

“No! That’s great!”

“I’m a lesbian. My brother is gay and trans. He’s great at tailoring clothes for people. We sell binders too.”

Logainne grinned. “That’s really cool! There’s some people in the GSA that’ll love that.”

She guided Logainne to the staircase. “I can show you the section we’ve got. He makes some pride things too, though he really kicks it into high gear in June. And he’s always open to commissions. Leaf also loves vintage fashion. I think he’d die if the community theater group asked him to do costumes.” Marigold gestured to a rack of clothes close to the register. “Here’s what I was talking about. There’s binders, and there’s a sizing list on the wall. Leaf gives new buyers the serious talk about them. If there’s anything he gets serious about, it’s binder safety. There’s a few colors of each size. Then there’s the pride stuff. Some capes, socks, shirts. Let your group know about this stuff, because it’s his favorite part of the store.”

“I will! This place is incredible. Thank you so much, Marigold.”

She grinned. “No problem. Remember, only good things about us. We’re just getting off the ground.”

“I don’t think there is anything bad to say!” Logainne tapped her fingers against her leg. “I should get going before I lose the writing energy, but I’ll definitely back.”

“Alright, I’ll be seeing you around. I’ll keep an eye on Chip when he comes around, see what he says about your roommate.”

“Thank you!” Logainne rushed out the door and back to her car, the worry in her heart buried under the enthusiasm of a good find.

———

“That,” Chip said, “that was a great dinner. You have great taste.”

“O-oh, thank you.” She slid her fork around her plate. “I really love this place a lot. I’m glad you liked it!”

“Are you done eating?” He asked. “If you are, I can take you home.”

“I am, but…” _Alright, here goes nothing_. “I told my roommate I’d be back by eight, so we’ve still got an hour, if you wanted to stay in town longer.”

Chip’s eyes lit up. “I’d love that! Is there any place you want to go?”

“No, you can choose! I mean, I picked where we ate dinner, so it’s only fair that you pick where we go next.”

He stood and pushed in his chair. “How does ice cream sound? There’s a small place near a store that a friend of mine owns. We could even drop in and say hi, if you’re okay with that.”

“Great!” She stood and followed him out of the restaurant. “Is it in walking distance, or are we going back to the car?”

“Uh… it’s like, two blocks away. So it isn’t too far to walk. And since it’s such a lovely night…” He took her hand again as they headed down the sidewalk. “So you’re having fun?” He asked her. “I’m assuming since you asked to spend more time with me, but I want to make sure.”

“Of course!” She smiled. “It’s been a great date.”

“So…” Chip softly swung their hands. “If I don’t screw this up in the next hour, I might get a second date?”

“Maybe.” Logainne was so wrong about him. Chip was sweet, attentive, funny, and the most he had done was hold her hand, which she was starting to enjoy. “Just maybe.”

————

It was seven thirty, and a part of Logainne was getting worried. Sure, it wasn’t eight yet, but Olive wasn’t literally staying out until eight, right? This was nerve wracking. With a sigh, she closed her laptop and turned on her phone. No texts from Olive.

This was stupid! Olive was more of an adult than she was, but the idea of her going on a date with Chip would get her worried about anyone. Logainne wiggles her leg and tried to think of something to get her mind off of her roommate. Maybe she could head down to the bookstore and get a new book. Yeah, she could do that. She could very easily spend an hour hunting for no book in particular. That would distract her from the situation while she searched and it would give her something to read when Olive was back, preventing her from asking a million questions and annoying the hell out of Olive.

With a sigh, she grabbed her purse and left the dorm room. She reminded herself that she didn’t care about Olive’s date, she wasn’t worried about Olive, and that she was probably wrong about Chip’s motivations anyway.

————

“Olive. Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Olive smiled nervously. “You have?”

Marigold gestured at Chip. “Lover boy here’s been gushing about you for the last week and I just met your roommate like, an hour ago. Looks like your date’s gone well. You haven’t been an asshole this whole time, have you, Chip?”

“He’s been really sweet,” she said. “It’s been great.”

“That’s great,” she said. “Oh, lemme take you out front to meet Leaf.” Before Olive could say anything, Marigold led her out of the back room and into the store. “Leaf, Chip’s got someone he wants you to meet.”

A person popped up from behind the register. “Chip’s here? Who’d he bring?” It was a tall, skinny ginger man. He was grinning. Even from a distance, Olive could see the gap between his front teeth.

Marigold pushed Olive forward. Chip hurried up to stand by her. “This is Olive. She’s my date tonight,” he explained, swiftly taking her hand. “We were in the area and I thought you guys would like to meet her.”

Leaf walked out from behind the counter. “It’s nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too,” Olive said. Wow, these were some enthusiastic people.

“Leaf and Marigold run the store here. Leaf makes the clothes and Marigold handles the actual business,” Chip told her.

“Mari went to college. I didn’t.” Leaf shrugged. “I mean, why bother if I already know how to sew?”

“So all of these are sewn by you?” Olive asked, incredulous. Leaf nodded. “Where did you find the time? I mean, there’s a lot of things here.”

“Oh, I love sewing. I’m pretty fast at it now, and I had two years to work on inventory. I lived at home while Mari got her degree, and I worked a few jobs to get some money to pay for this place. It’s a business and home, cause my apartment’s upstairs.” He grinned again. “It’s great! Take a look around. There’s something for everyone!”

“You’ve got to be back by eight, right?” Chip asked her.

She checked her phone. “It’s seven forty now. Is there enough time to spend a few minutes here?”

“Yeah, we’re good. They’ve got some really nice stuff here. Leaf does commissions.”

Leaf nodded vigorously. “If you look in that album there you can see some of the requests I’ve gotten!”

Olive walked over to the album, bringing Chip along with her. The book sat open, showing a simple white wedding dress. “Oh, that’s so pretty!”

Leaf looked over her shoulder. “That was for a wedding of one of my parent’s friend’s kid’s cousins.” He frowned. “Or. Something like that.”

She stared at the photo. “The detail on it is gorgeous.” She flipped the page. “These are incredible!”

“Thanks!” Leaf smiled. “I’ve been sewing since I was six. I started with cat capes, and now I can make whatever I want, basically.”

Olive looked up at him. “Cat capes?”

Marigold laughed. Leaf’s smile turned sheepish. “When I was a kid, I made little capes for our cats. They were super simple and kinda stupid, and the cats hated them, but they were fun. Then I started making my own really clothes, and it grew from there. Now I’m here!” He gestured to the entire store. “I love it!”

Chip laughed and smiled warmly. “It’s a great place, I gotta say. Olive and I should probably get going, though. I don’t want her roommate to kill me for being late. See ya, Leaf. Bye Mari.” He and Olive waved to twins as they left the store.

The two were silent for a second. Finally, Mari looked at Leaf. “I think he’s serious about her. Did you see that?”

“Yeah. Handholding. He’s taking it slow.” Leaf turned back to the counter. “It’s almost nine. We should start closing up.”

“I’ll check today’s and put it in the safe.” She took the cash bag Leaf had just filled and went to the back. Once she was out of the front room, Leaf sat down behind the counter. He leaned his head back against the cold wood and took a few deep breaths.

“Whatever,” he muttered to no one in particular. He stood up, walked over to the storage closet, and pulled out a broom.

———

“So, can I text you tomorrow?” Chip asked as he parked the car. “Is that alright?”

Olive smiled. “Of course it’s alright. I can’t wait to go out again.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her purse. “Thank you for taking me out.”

“It was my pleasure. Here, lemme get the door for you.” Chip got out of the car and walked around to her side. He opened the door for her. Once she was out, he shut the door behind her. “I’ll see you soon,” he said, holding her hand lightly. He let go of it and got back in his car. 

Olive walked to the door of her dorm building, waving at Chip as he drove away. She hurried up the stairs to her room, only to find that Logainne wasn’t there. With a relieved sigh, she settled onto her bed to think about her date.


	2. The One Where Marigold Sets Logainne Up on a Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marigold gives Logainne a girl’s number in hopes that it’ll get her to stop obsessing over Olive and Chip.
> 
> Olive considers coming out to Chip tonight on their third date.
> 
> After Mari confronts him about something he doesn’t want to admit, Leaf joins a dating app.

“Logainne, it’s great that you’re hanging around here, and I’m glad you consider us friends, but are you ever going to buy something?” Marigold finished tagging her stack of clothing. “We are kind of a business.”

“Oh! Yeah, sorry.” She dug her wallet out of her purse. “I’ve been meaning to buy one of the bi flags, actually.”

“Alright, go grab one from the rack. Flags are twenty five.” Marigold punched it into the register. “Your total is $26.75.” Logainne handed her cash and Mari handed her the change. “Okay, so what’s new with Olive and Chip?”

Logainne sighed. “I’m anxious. It’s their third date, which is when most couples, you know…”

She raised an eyebrow. “Logainne, I really hate to break it to you, but Chip usually does that on the first date.”

“I know. But it’s Olive! It’s her first kiss, and it’s going to be with Charlito Tolentino.”

“Oh.” Marigold nodded. “Okay. I thought you were talking about sex. A kiss isn’t that serious. At least, it wasn’t to her, cause Chip didn’t say she made a big deal out of it.”

“They WHAT?!” Logainne dropped her newly bought flag. “Olive had her first kiss and she didn’t tell me?”

“You hate her boyfriend. Hate to say it, but I don’t blame her.”

“Bu-But it’s her first kiss!” Goddamnit, she was starting to lose control of her lisp. “And I don’t hate Chip, there just isn’t anything to show that he’s a great person!”

Marigold sighed. “He’s not, honey. Do you know how dating works?”

“What?”

“I said, do you know how dating works?”

She felt her cheeks flushing. “Well, uh, it’s going out with another person to see if you like them enough to marry them or live with them for the rest of your life.”

“Right. Theoretically.”” Marigold grabbed a binder out from under the table and worked on organizing sewing patterns. “However, plenty of people spend extraordinary amounts of time dating shitty people or people that really aren’t right for them. Consider this relationship as getting Olive used to how dating works. she’s never been in a relationship before. Someone’s gonna have to teach her the basics, so when she finds her person, she doesn’t miss her chance.”

“But why Chip? There has to be someone less… jerky to date.”

She sighed. “It’s because he asked her out. Has she ever been asked out before?”

“No, but-“

“I’d bet money that she was scared she’d never get asked out again. And Chip’s young, and attractive I assume from the astounding number of women that’ve agreed to sleep with him.” She stopped working to look Logainne right in the eye. “So what’s going on is we’ve got a girl that’s anxious to start dating and we’ve got a guy that feels like he should try and settle down. I’ve watched this happen before. It’ll last a year at most and then they’ll break up because ‘they’re just not right for each other’.”

“How do you sound so confident?” Logainne’s hands combed through her hair, braiding and rebraiding.

“It was the exact same way when he dated me, except the other way around. I thought I should get serious and settle down, and he wanted to start dating. We barely lasted a year. Though, it probably won’t end because Chip discovers he’s gay. He’s very confident in his heterosexuality.”

She tugged on her hair, trying to distract herself from her pounding heart. “So is this going to end with him breaking her heart?”

“Definitely. It was heartbreaking for him when we broke up.”

“Great.” Her head drooped. “Is there anything I can do to help her?”

“Until then?” She shook her head. “Nope. But you could ignore her and jump into the dating pool.”

“What?”

Marigold shut the binder and tucked it underneath the counter. “I know a lesbian that’s single and desperate to mingle. If you can’t stop obsessing over your roommate and her doomed relationship, find your own relationship. You like girls?”

After a moment, she realized that Marigold wanted an answer. “Oh! Uh. Yeah, I do?”

“Her name is Marcy, she went to my high school and now she’s at the same college all of you kids go to. She’s like, your age because she skipped a few grades. She’s a music major and she plays a gajillion instruments, and she’s got a gorgeous voice.”

She sounded great, actually. Wow, Marcy sounded wonderful. And she did want a girlfriend. She’d wanted one for a long time. But what if she wasn’t ready? What if she ruined this? She didn’t know what she was doing when it came to dating. “I…”

“You’re overthinking. I can see it on your face. Just go on a date with a girl and see what you think of her so you stop thinking about Chip dating Olive.”

“Ugh.” Logainne rubbed her face. “How do you know so much? You’re too good at advice.”

“I’ve older. I’ve got three years of experience on you. Here, I’ll give you her phone number “ She searched for around for a pad of paper and a pen. “Just let her know that I’m the one that got you two in contact and you should be good to go.”

“Thank you so much.” Logainne leaned over the counter and watched her scribble down a number. Marigold handed it to her. She stared at it for a few minutes.

Marigold patted her arm. “Now you have to do the hard work and set up a date. Think you can handle that?”

“I… think?”

“Marcy’s nothing to be afraid of. She doesn’t bite.” She paused and thought for a second. “Well, she will if you’re into that.”

“MARIGOLD!!!!”

“And today I learned that a human being can turn tomato red.” When Logainne huffed and crosses her arms, she rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. It was a joke. I’m kidding. She’s charming.”

“I’ll text her,” Logainne said, shoving the slip of paper into her coat pocket. “Thanks, Marigold. I should probably get going. I’ve got library duty in twenty minutes.”

“Mhm. Have fun.” She waved at Logainne as she left. As soon as the blonde was out of the store, Marigold sighed and slumped against the counter. “Jesus, give me patience with this girl.”

Leaf poked his head out of the workshop. “What?”

She stood up and sighed. “It’s nothing. Girl stuff.”

“Okay.” He stood in the doorway for a few seconds, thinking something over. “You really don’t think it’s going to last?” To Marigold’s surprise, he didn’t sound particularly disappointed.

“I’m not sure, but has Chip ever had a successful relationship?” With a shrug, she added, “But who knows? For all I know, she could be the one.”

“Maybe.” Leaf retreated back into the workshop.

Marigold watched the closed doorway for a minute, a little thrown by the way he had behaved. “Give me patience with him as well,” she murmured.

————

“You’re actually dating someone? Wow, I didn’t think you knew what real dating was. Normally when you tell me you’ve got a date, you really just mean you’re going to have sex and then never talk to her again.”

“Shut up, Barf. Olive’s different.” Chip leaned back in his chair. “She’s sweet and shy and I think I legit like her. I took her to a bookstore last week, and you know what she picked out?”

“If you’re implying she’s got good taste, then nothing you’ve read.” Will ducked the pencil that Chip chucked at him. “You read shitty romance. You can’t claim to have taste.”

“I read 50 Shades once and you still won’t get over it. But anyway, she picked out one of those Ann Rule books. She likes true crime books! She’s like, the best girl I’ve ever dated.”

Will leaned against the wall. “You said that the only other person you’ve dated was that girl who’s two years older than you. Not hard to beat.”

“But you get what I mean, right? Like, I’m not even thinking about sex cause I’m just so excited to hang out with her!” Will gave him a look and he sighed. “Okay, I’m thinking about sex, but I’m also thinking about what I’m gonna talk to her about!”

“Wow. That’s incredible.”

“See? Thank you!” He and Will stared at each other for a few seconds. “Wait… you were being sarcastic.”

“Yeah, I was.”

“Asshole. I hate you.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Oh, woe is me. How will I live with myself if you hate me?”

“I’m gonna suffocate you in your sleep.”

“Do it. Bet you won’t.”

Chip huffed. “Shut up!”

“What? Mad that I can tell you’re not up to committing murder?”

“You know what? This is fucking stupid. I’m gonna go to the library and study because I can’t fucking stand you!”

“Okay. Am I supposed to care?” He watched Chip flip him off and leave the room with his bag. Will sighed and walked over to his desk. “God, I hate him so much.”

————

Okay. She could do this. She was going to have a rational, calm discussion with Logainne about her boyfriend. Wait, was Chip her boyfriend? They had only been on three dates. Was it too early to call him that? She took a deep breath. That didn’t matter. What mattered was having a calm conversation with Logainne about him.

Logainne was working in the library right now. That gave Olive plenty of time to practice what she’d say.

Plenty of time.

“So, Logainne, I was thinking, and I wanted to ask you- No, that sounds stupid.” She leaned back in her chair. “Logainne, it’s my third date with, well, you know who, and I feel like…” Olive sighed. “No, I have to use his name or else I won’t look like I’m ready. Why are words so hard?”

Frustrated, she opened her laptop and created a document. “Hey… Logainne…” she murmured as she typed. “Should I tell Chip that I’m trans? After all…” Huh. Why did she want to tell Chip so soon? She tapped the keys lightly, trying to come up with a reason. Now it wasn’t just for imaginary Logianne’s sake, it was for herself too. “It’s our third date, and…” She knew what she wanted to write, but she was struck with a sudden fear of verbalizing her thoughts. “I like him, and I want him to know before things get serious between us.” There. It wasn’t just in her head. It was on paper now. If she wanted to (she didn’t), she could delete it right now, but it wouldn’t change anything. It was on paper. It was real now.

Olive hurriedly shut her computer, too anxious to stare at it any longer but too certain to delete the thought. She liked Chip. She wanted him to know, and she desperately hoped that things would stay the same after. Now she just had to wait and see what Logainne thought.

————

She had an hour left before her shift was over and the library was as dead as could be. No one was bringing books to be checked out, there was nothing to shelve, and she had helped prep all the new books last time she had worked. Her homework was done and she didn’t feel like she could possibly study anymore without falling asleep. She felt around in her pocket for the paper Marigold had given her this morning. Maybe she could give this girl a text.

“Marcy Park…” She murmured, reading the name and number on the paper. Digging her phone out of her purse, she shot off a quick text to the number given.

[LOGAINNE] Hello? Is this Marcy Park?

To pass the time while she waited for a reply, she opened a time-killing game and mindlessly played away to kill her anxiety. This was a thing people did, texting other people to ask them out without knowing them. This was fine. She was fine.

Ding!

[??] yeah?  
[??] who is this?  
[LOGAINNE] Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre. Marigold gave me your number.  
[??] oh hey sweet  
[??] when do you wanna go out?

Jeez, she was forward. But, Logainne relented, someone had to be. Before she texted back, she quickly added this girl as a contact.

[LOGAINNE] I’m free in the evenings on Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  
[MARCY] k cool  
[MARCY] today’s saturday right?  
[LOGAINNE] yes??  
[MARCY] does tonight work for you?

Schedule-wise, it did. Emotionally, probably not.

[LOGAINNE] sure!!

She couldn’t chicken out. Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre was not a chicken. She was anxious and nervous and sweaty, but she wasn’t a chicken. She felt like she had something to prove by doing this. To prove to Marigold that she wouldn’t overthink herself out of a date. To prove to Olive that she could butt out of her personal business. To prove to herself that she was ready to date. Oh, shit, a lot was riding on this now.

[MARCY] 6:30 @ Westinger Dormitory?  
[MARCY] we can figure out where to go after that when we see each other  
[LOGAINNE] sounds great!

————

Logainne was back in the room. Okay, Olive, you can do this.

“Hey, Logainne.”

“Hmm?”

“I was wondering… do you think I should come out to Chip tonight? I mean, it’s our third date, and I really like him, and I just want him to know.”

Breath, Logainne. Don’t be nosy, don’t be overprotective. “Yeah, I think you should.”

Olive almost went into a long defensive speech, but caught herself. “Wait. You do?”

“Yeah?” Logainne looked at her. “If you really like him, and you want to, then you should.” There we go. Smart and simple, and still in her lane.

“Really?” Olive tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Oh, geez, I didn’t expect that. Right, then I’ll, uh, tell him!”

Logainne smiled. “That’s great. As long as you’re happy.” That’s right. She has to acknowledge that Olive’s happy with Chip. For now. And when it’s over, she’ll be there to support Olive. She needed to put her critiques on the backburner to avoid ruining her friendship. Besides, she had more pressing issues, like her date tonight. She glanced at her phone. 5:45. “Hey, Olive?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you help me with something?”

“Of course!” Olive sounds her chair around to face her. “What’s up?”

She inhaled deeply. “Marigold gave me a girl’s number, and now I’ve got a date, and I don’t know what to wear or what to do, and it’s tonight, and I’m kind of freaking out and I don’t want to be. Could you coach me in… everything about dating?”

She smiled hesitantly. “Well, I don’t know much more than you about dating, but I’ll do my best!” She stood and walked open to Logainne’s closet. “I mean, anything you’ve got would work. All you wear are dress clothes. In fact, I think it’s going to be dressing down that’s your problem.”

“Dressing… down? Like casual?”

“Yeah!” Sliding some shirts aside, she searched through her pants section. “You have a pair of jeans, don’t you?”

“Uh… one. Dan made me buy them. I don’t wear them.”

Olive pulled them out of the closet. “Found them! Wow, these are so nice! Here, go ahead and put these on. You’re definitely wearing these.”

“Okay.” She hesitantly took them from her and changed as Olive continued digging through her closet.

Olive found a white blouse and handed it to her. “Where’s that scarf you like?”

“The rainbow one? It’s hanging on one of the hooks on the inside of the doors.”

“You’re wearing it. It’s simple and it’s cute. Wear those black ankle boots and you’ll be good.” She smiled. “I think whoever your date is is going to love it.”

She stood there in awe of her roommate’s sweetness and helpfulness. “Olive, I love you and I’m so sorry I was a jerk over your boyfriend.”

Olive laughed. “It’s fine, Schwartz. Nothing to apologize about.” She handed her the scarf. “Just go be your adorable nerdy self and get a girlfriend. Who is it, by the way?”

“Her name’s Marcy. Mari said she’s a music major.” She quickly pulled the blouse on. “I’m meeting her by her dorm in half an hour and I’m terrified.”

Olive smiled and shook her head. “Logainne, you know it’ll be fine.”

She wrapped the scarf around her neck. “Oh, I know, but my brain doesn’t. I’m freaking out. It’ll probably be fine.”

“Atta girl. I should get going. I’m meeting Chip in a few minutes.” Olive grabbed her purse from the desk.

“Good luck,” Logainne said.

————

Leaf sat on his couch, enjoying his reheated pizza in silence. The store was closed and he could eat dinner in peace and quiet. His sister was in his tiny apartment kitchen, making something that was actually healthy for her dinner. He set his plate down and headed into the kitchen. He wanted something to drink. Probably soda, but he wouldn’t be opposed if he came across something else first.

As he opened the fridge, his sister looked up from the stove. “Hey, dude, can I ask you something?”

He grabbed the first can he could find and shut the fridge. “What?”

“You’re not… hung up on Chip, are you?”

“... What?” She didn’t know… right? There was no way she knew. It was two years ago, and it didn’t mean anything anymore.

“You get all touchy whenever someone brings up Chip and his girlfriend. I was just wondering if you had a thing for him.”

“He’s straight and he’s two years younger than me,” Leaf said, fully aware that those reasons didn’t make him any more credible. “I’d have to be stupid to be into him. Plus you dated him before, so it’d be weird to be into him.”

“Okay.” She turned back to her pan. “Just checking.”

He checked the can in his hand. Sprite was not going to cut it. He opened the fridge again with a sigh and found a beer. “Is there anything you wanna watch tonight? Or are you going to Adela’s place?”

“I’m going over.” She dumped the contents of the frying pan onto a plate. “We can watch tv and eat, though. I’ve got time. It’s a night date.”

“Wait, what does that-“ She raises an eyebrow and he paused. “Oh. That kind of date.”

“Yeah.” Marigold grabbed her plate and walked out to the living room. “We have time to watch some junk. How much do we have left on this season of Skin Wars?”

“The finale.” He sat down next to her and turned on the tv. He clicked buttons on the remote until he got to the show. Once it was going, he pulled out his phone. Not over Chip. He’d show her that Chip wasn’t even a consideration. As he ate, he downloaded a dating app and created a profile.

Marigold noticed his considerable focus. “Whatcha doing, bud?”

“Oh. You know. Searching for a date.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Alright. Fair enough. Anyone good?”

He finished filling out his info and started swiping though possibilities. “Uh… Wait, that guy who works at the coffee shop on fifth is showing up.”

“Because he’s gay, Leaf.”

“I didn’t know that! He’s cute!” He swiped right and sent a quick message. “I hope he responds.”

She leaned over and looked at the screen. “Right. Briar. He’s such a twink. I don’t know how you missed it. He wrote a winky face on your cup last time.”

“I thought it was a really weird ‘F’. That makes a lot more sense now!” His phone dinged. “Let’s see what he said.”

hi!  
what’s up?  
I didn’t realize that you drew a ;) on my cup last time. I thought it was an f  
oh lol it’s fine. looks like you got the hint.  
why haven’t I seen you on here before?  
just joined. I haven’t been big on dating  
oh I get you. does that mean you wanna go out some time…?  
yes!!! when would work for you?  
tomorrow night?  
that would be great? where do you wanna go?  
Mary Lin’s @ 8? Ik you’ve got your store  
can’t wait!  
great <3

“He used a heart emoji! Oh my god, Mari, I’ve got a date!” He looked up at her. “I’m going out with Briar tomorrow!”

“That’s great, dude. Glad to see you’re finally putting yourself on the market.”

Leaf smiled. This was his first actual date, and he was going with a cute guy that was into him, and it was going to be great. Gah, he couldn’t believe he had to wait a full day.

————

Chip greeted her with a peck on the lips. “Hey, Olive,” he murmured after, taking ahold of her hand. “Ready for dinner?”

She smiled. “Yes.” It felt so nice to have someone giving her affection all the time. It was so foreign but so welcome at the same time. “And we’re walking, right?”

“Yep, because it’s on campus and it gives me more time with you.. Shall we?”

They walked for a few minutes to a small restaurant near the theatre on campus. It was a Chinese place that Chip had said he loved, and so they settled on that for their date this evening. Once they were seated in the restaurant, her nerves kicked in. She was really going to come out to him tonight. The idea of it was relieving and terrifying at the same time.

“How were your classes today?” Chip asked her.

“Oh, they were same as normal. You?”

“Well, classes were the same for me too, but man! We started a new case in our mock trial group today and it’s going to be so good! I’m on the prosecuting team this time.”

“What’s the case about?” If she could get Chip settled into talking something he cared about, that would give her plenty of time to calm herself down.

He took a sip of his drink. “It’s kinda related to Roe v Wade, but it’s not the exact same. So my client is a woman who was killed after a botched back alley abortion, and her husband is suing the state she lives in and saying that their ban on abortion is what killed her. I have to prove that the state’s at fault for not allowing it. It’s gonna be interesting to see how it turns out. I’ve been reading all about these laws and cases because I’ll be honest, I had no clue what to think about this whole debate and I still don’t know honestly, but I have talking points to hopefully win a settlement for my client.”

“That sounds fascinating.” She was calmer now. Okay, she could do this. “How long do these cases run?”

“However long it takes. Minimum two meetings. The record is thirty, and it ended with a hung jury. I wasn’t here for that one, though. A couple of years before I got here.” He looked down at the table. “So, uh, what clubs do you do? I mean, I’m pretty straightforward with my debate and mock trial, but what do you like?”

Oh geez, now she had to think. “Well, I, I’m in a study group for my chem class, and I’m in the board game club.” A little quieter, she added. “I’m in the GSA too.”

He nodded. “Cool, cool. Logainne roped you into going, huh?”

“Well, kind of.” Okay, here goes nothing. “She convinced me to actually come to a meeting, but I was already thinking about joining because I’m, I’m trans.” What was he going to say? What was going to happen?

He looked… mildly surprised, but not in a bad way. “Oh! Okay. Cool, cool, uh…. I’m glad you told me.” He fiddled with his napkin. “I’m chill with that, just so I don’t accidentally freak you out. I’m bad at reacting to things like this. I’m glad you could tell me, uh, and cool.”

Olive couldn’t help laughing a little. “That’s a relief. So yes, I’m trans, and I’m glad that telling you that hasn’t ruined this.”

“Yeah, Leaf is trans. He’s kinda helped me learn about all this because I had a lot of stupid questions. It definitely wouldn’t ruin this! I like you, and you’re really pretty, and I…” He trailed off into nervous laughter. “I like you,” he finished, meeting her eyes.

“I think I like you too.”

————

Logainne was nervous enough to scream. What was she gonna do? This hot girl was walking next to her and ever so casually saying super romantic things that made her heart melt. She was so useless around a cute girl. This was ridiculous.

“I heard that, heard that you, uh, can sing?” She asked.

“Yeah. First soprano.” Marcy looked at her curiously. “Marigold said that your roommate is the one Tolentino’s dating and that you hate him?”

“Well, hate’s a strong word. It’s more of, you know, I don’t like him much.”

She waved a hand dismissively. “It’s cool. I like making his life miserable. I’m the reason he stopped using dating apps to hook up with people. I managed to catfish him five different times.”

Logainne laughed, caught off guard by that. “You did what?”

“I catfished him five different times. He thinks it’s six, but I was just in that same restaurant as his date was. It was great to watch him walk out as soon as we made he contact.” She rolled her eyes. “But I got tired of actually being single and put my faith in Mari to join me up with someone nice.” Her hand found its place on Logainne’s lower back. “From what I’ve seen so far, I think she’s done great.”

Logainne felt her face turning red. “Geez, uh, thank you.”

Marcy smiled and shook her head. “It’s adorable when girls get all flustered. You’re definitely not an exception.”

“So you and Marigold know each other pretty well?” Her embarrassment made her scramble for a new topic.

She chuckled. “I started to pity her junior year when I found out she was dating Chip. She’s pretty cool, and it’s impossible not to love Leaf instantly. It’s a shame he’s hung up on Chip, cause I thought that a fashion designer would have better taste.”

“Leaf likes Chip?”

“You wouldn’t think it from the way he acts, but get drunk with him and it’ll come spilling out. He’s hopelessly into him. Probably why he’s been moody lately, since Chip’s got an actual girlfriend.”

Wow. That was news to her. “I… wasn’t expecting that.”

Marcy shrugged. “I expected Chip to come out like, last year, but I think we’re all disappointed. He’s got that vibe but he’s still very adamantly straight. Who knows? I’m probably wrong.”

“That’s interesting. Your high school’s turned out a lot of interesting people.”

“Nah, the majority are pretty normal. You’ve had the fortune to meet the ones that aren’t. And I’ve had the fortune to meet the cutest girl on this campus.” Logainne actually squeaked. Marigold laughed. “It’s so easy to get you flustered. God, I love talking to you. You’re adorable.”

See? If she survived this date, Logainne was going to be hopelessly head over heels for this beautiful artistic girl. Her stomach twisted again, but she couldn’t decide if it was anxiety or butterflies.


	3. The One Where Chip Gets an Erection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chip worries about his relationship with Olive and tries to avoid questioning what he thinks he knows about himself.  
> Olive, hoping to avoid crashing a date, goes to the library and meets someone new.  
> Leaf ruminates about his feelings for Chip.  
> Logainne has a minor freak out about the girl she’s really starting to like.  
> Marcy isn’t aware of the power her performances can have on others.  
> Will has to put up with his roommate and balance his awkwardness with his desire to connect with others.

“You had a date last night?” Chip asked. He opened a beer and took a sip. “With who?”

Leaf turned the tv on. “Briar. He works at that coffee place on fifth, Beans 4 U.”

“Oh. Okay.” Wow, it was weird to think about Leaf going out on a date. “How did it go?”

“I thought it was great. We’re meeting for lunch tomorrow.” He got the movie going and set the remote down. “How’s it going with you and Olive?”

“She’s the best. God, she is so great. We even have the same gap for lunch between classes, so we eat together. I think the only thing that’s kinda off for me is the whole “we haven’t had sex yet” thing.” He shrugged. “But it’s whatever at this point.”

Leaf took a sip of his drink. “You were her first kiss, dude. Might want to keep taking it slow.”

He almost choked. “I was her what? Are you serious?”

“Yeah?” Perplexed, he continued, “I overheard Logainne say it was her first kiss a few days ago. Did Olive not say anything to you?”

“No, she didn’t.” Chip paused and thought about it. “Is there anything else she hasn’t told me?”

“I mean, if she thinks it’s important she’ll tell you, I guess. I am the worst person to ask about dating, Chip. My first kiss was literally yesterday.”

Oh. So he didn’t remember. Part of Chip was relieved and the other felt guilty. He really was the only one who knew about it. He brushed his feelings aside with a laugh. “Yeah, you’re right. Maybe there’s someone that can help me out more.” He turned his attention to the screen, hoping to distract himself from the thoughts racing through his head.

————

Olive stood in line to buy her dinner. She was planning on taking it back to her room to eat. The person running the register rang up her food and scanned her ID. Then she was free to leave with her meal in hand.

She unlocked her dorm room door and opened it. Logainne sat on her bed, talking to a Korean girl with short hair and ear piercings. Logainne said something and the girl laughed, making Logainne blush. Oh, this was her girlfriend! She smiled. Then she realized she would make everything awkward by going in there to eat. She shut the door quietly and frantically tried to think of a place that was calm and quiet enough for her to hang out at. Deciding on the library, she walked back out of her dorm building.

How was the library busy on a Friday night? Didn’t people go out? How was she going to find a place to sit? She walked through the downstairs, passing table after table of students. There was a spare seat here and there, but that meant asking a table of three or four people if she could sit there, and that made her uncomfortable. Olive headed up to the second floor, determined to find a place to eat. She spotted a table she thought was empty and walked over.

A guy walked over to her intended table and sat down, making her to notice the stuff at that table. Oh, geez. Okay. It looked like it was just him there. There was nowhere else to sit, so she timidly walked up and asked, “Is it okay if I sit here?”

He looked up from his book. “Yeah, it’s fine,” he said, sounding a little disappointed.

She sat down and pulled her sandwich and a book. As she read, she ate her dinner. Olive slowly forgot the awkwardness, thoroughly involved in her book. She was pulled back to reality when he stood up.

“Sorry. Bumped the table.”

“It’s fine.” She turned back to her book, but noticed the stack that was slowly building on the table. “That’s a lot of DSMs.”

“Psych project,” he said, walking away. He returned with another edition and sat down. Opening his laptop, he started typing furiously. She returned to her book and tried to stay focused this time. She made it a chapter further when she heard him exhale loudly through his nose and tap his hands on the table. He saw her look up at him. “Sorry,” he said. “Just. Working on this essay.”

“Do you need help? I like writing essays.”

“I mean…” He hesitated. “...I don’t know how to word this sentence. Every time I put something down, it sounds weird to me.”

Olive stood and walked over behind him to see his screen. “The sentence here?”

“Yeah.”

After reading it over a few times, she tried a few variations out in her head. “I think you’ve got too many phrases in there. The commas make it clunky. Try simplifying it or splitting it up. Maybe this last part can be its own sentence.”

He nodded and changed it. Satisfied, he grinned. “Thank you.”

“No problem!” She returned to her side of the table and grabbed her stuff. “I should get going, actually. Thanks for letting me sit here.”

“Oh, uh. No problem.” Before she could get too far, he asked, “Wait! What’s your name?”

She dropped and turned. “Olive! I’m Olive.”

“William.”

She smiled at him and left.

—————

Leaf stretched as the end credits rolled. He glanced over at Chip, who was fast asleep. When he got up to put their empty bottles and cans away, he stopped to look at Chip’s sleeping face. He shook himself out of his stupid pining thoughts and walked to the kitchen. He set everything in the sink and grabbed a clean glass to fill with water. As he passed by Chip again, he felt a small twinge of… something. Leaf found a blanket and covered him up. After a second of debate, he pecked Chip’s forehead and pulled his glasses off. He set them on the table where Chip could easily find them in the morning.

It was unfair. The one guy he felt comfortable being in love with wouldn’t ever be interested in him. Chip was his best friend. They had been friends for the longest time. Leaf had always gotten crushes quickly, but this wasn’t some passing infatuation. He knew he was in love, and he knew that he couldn’t do much about it.

There was always something painful about his relationship with Chip, something he tried to find as he laid in bed. As great as it was to be his friend, his heart ached everytime he was around Chip.

And now there was Briar. Briar, who had been so sweet on their date. He felt bad, being in love and trying to ignore it. Maybe he could get over Chip with this. He had a chance to get involved with someone else. He hoped desperately that he would forget about Chip if he kissed Briar and went out with him enough.

He closed his eyes. It was hard. He had to play the happy guy, the funny guy that people liked because he was endearing and a pleasure to be around. Every time he had complained or gotten upset or mad, he had been scolded and shamed, and he was sick of it. He was sick of being forced and coerced and shamed and yelled at. He was supposed to be an adult. He was supposed to make his choices. And on some level, he was. But he still felt like everyone around him was judging him for what he chose to do.

Leaf rolled over and sighed. Nighttime was a bad time. He was lonely and upset. Maybe, he hoped, maybe Briar would help him get over this too.

————

Logainne laid in her bed, wide awake. She couldn’t stop thinking about her date. Had she done everything right? Marcy seemed happy, but there was a chance she could be faking it. She ran through their conversation in her head, pinpointing when and where she had screwed something up.

The door creaked open and Olive crept in. Logainne heard her trying to move as silently as possible. “I’m not asleep, Olive. You’re okay.”

“Oh!” She crashed into something. “Oh, dear, I didn’t expect you to be awake.” Olive managed to find the light switch and flick it on. “Why are you still awake? It’s almost midnight.”

Logainne sat up in her bed. “I’m having a post-date anxiety attack. It’s cool. I’ll be fine in the morning.”

Olive sat down next to her. “What’s up, Schwartz? Why’re you freaking out?”

“I mean…” With a sigh, she said, “It’s nothing that she did, I just hate the fact that I’m so bad at talking to people. Like I’m sitting here, going through everything I said that was stupid or nonsensical and there’s really a lot of those kinds of things and it’s bothering me and I don’t know if I’m good enough to be with a girl like her.”

Olive hugged her. “Schwartz, don’t be like that.”

“I’m serious! Have you seen her? She’s super smart and she can play like every instrument ever and she’s so good at everything, and here I am failing at a basic conversation.” She leaned against Olive. “I don’t know what I’m doing. Maybe I shouldn’t do dating.”

“You’re doing just fine, Logainne. If she didn’t like you, she wouldn’t keep asking you out.”

“If you say so.” She took a deep breath in. “I’m just being stupid and tired. I should get to sleep.”

Olive patted her back and stood up. “I think we both should. I’ve got to prepare myself for another night of going out in public.”

“Chip’s not one for a quiet night in, huh?”

She grimaced. “Apparently. I mean, it’s great that he likes going out, but would it kill him to be less… like that?”

“Extroverted?” Logainne offered.

She nodded. “But I’m worried if I ask for a night in, he’ll take it the wrong way and think I’m asking about something else. And I don’t want to be confrontational or make him feel bad, I just don’t think he realizes how stressful going out is.” With a small sigh, she grabbed her toothbrush from her desk and turned to the door. “It’ll work out.” She paused. “At least, I hope.”

————

“Oh. Good morning!”

Chip cracked an eye open to watch Leaf walk by. He blinked and felt around for his glasses. Damn, he felt exhausted throughout his entire body.

Leaf smiled and opened a drawer. “Geez, you sleep so much. You should probably get up. It’s almost nine.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, sitting up. He finally saw Leaf in all of his shirtless glory and abruptly felt much more awake. He honed in on all the small details, his brain noting how... enticing Leaf looked. Even as a straight guy, Chip couldn’t help observing how slender Leaf was. He had to admit, testosterone had worked really well for him. Then the headache hit him and he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Ugh. Ow.”

Leaf shut the drawer and turned around. “I’ll be done soon if you want to shower. I just need to get dressed.” The towel around his waist shifted as Leaf took a step toward the bathroom. A part of Chip’s brain really wanted it to fall. Wait, no. Why did he want that? He shook his head and tried to shake the haze in his brain. His focus drifted to Leaf’s stomach, where soft red hair appeared and trailed down, leading to a place where a straight guy’s thoughts shouldn’t delve.

Chip’s thoughts were definitely delving down there. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. What the fuck was he doing? He had a girlfriend. He was straight. Leaf was his friend. He wasn’t interested in Leaf like that. There was no reason for him to be so zoned in on Leaf like this. God, now he felt weird and uncomfortable.

The bathroom door shut behind Leaf. Chip tossed the blankets aside. His discomfort was easily explained by the bulge in his pajama pants. His breath caught in his throat. “Shit,” he hissed. What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck?!?!?! Why was he getting a stiffy over his friend?! He hadn’t woken up like this, so it wasn’t left over from a wet dream. There was no way to try and get rid of it (well, there was, but he wasn’t that stupid), so he covered himself in the blanket again.

God, what was wrong with him? Why had Leaf gotten him so worked up? He wasn’t gay. Chip knew that he wasn’t gay. He loved girls a lot. Like, a lot. So what the hell did this mean? It wasn’t like he considered Leaf a girl, because he unfortunately remembered that it was Leaf’s masculinity he was observing and thinking about. Was it possible that he actually-

He shot down that train of thought as Leaf left the bathroom. “My turn, huh?” He asked nervously. Shit, he couldn’t possibly handle this right now. He was hungover, his head aches so badly, and the last thing he needed was this stupid question that Leaf’s presence always brought to the front of his drunken brain.

“Yeah. You can use my soap. You have extra clothes, right?”

“In my bag. I’ve got some. Thanks.” He slid off the couch, keeping his erection concealed as long as possible. Once he was off the couch, he grabbed his bag, booked it to the bathroom, and shut the door behind him. Okay, okay. How was he going to do this? Was he just going to ignore it and shower, or-

Who was he trying to kid? There was no ignoring something like this. He couldn’t blame it on the hangover. But he wasn’t gay. He liked girls. All his thoughts swirled and swirled around until he couldn’t handle it. He turned the water on cold and showered as fast as possible. The entire time, he tried to refocus himself.

_I’m straight._

_I don’t like guys. I don’t like guys. I like women. There’s no way I’m gay because I like women. Come on. There’s no way that I like him._

_Think of all the girls you've been with. Olive. Ilise. Rae. Georgia. Teresa. Shay. Brianna. Lane. Kia. Willow. Mar-_

He turned off the water. That was too far. Too far back. That was a mistake and he didn’t need that kind of thing to ruin his day. Chip dried off and got dressed. He’d take care of any other grooming when he got home, but for now, his head hurt too much to do anything else.

When he left the bathroom, Leaf brushed passed him. “Forgot a bandaid,” he said apologetically. He unwrapped it and placed it tenderly on his arm.

“Do the shots still hurt?”

Leaf shrugged. “I mean, yeah, but it’s not as bad as it used to be.”

He nodded and tried to think of something else to say. When nothing made it through the fog in his brain, he smiled awkwardly. “Sorry, this hangover’s fucking with my head. I should get going.”

“Wait…” Leaf turned to him. “How bad is your hangover? Should you be driving?”

“It’s fine, it’ll be-“ He winced as a wave of pain rushed through his head. “Okay, maybe not.”

Leaf ushered him over to the couch. “Hey, you can stay as long as you need. There’s water and juice in the fridge. Do you want anything to eat before I go?”

“Toast? And maybe some water, please.” As Leaf rushed to the kitchen, he leaned back against the couch. He must’ve had a lot to drink if he was still this fucked over. Wait. “Fuck!” He closed his eyes and sighed. Goddamnit, he was screwing everything up right now.

Leaf hurried out of the kitchen, a glass and a plate in hand. “Yo, what’s wrong?”

“I’m supposed to go out with Olive tonight,” he grumbled. “And I’m stuck with a headache that’s gonna kill my will to do anything tonight.”

He set the toast and water down on the side table. “Why don’t you have her come to your dorm for a movie? Then you can sleep and not worry about going out.”

Chip leaned forward and picked up the food. “Do you think she’d like that?”

“Olive? Of course.” Leaf took a step back and crossed his arms. “C’mon, Chip, don’t you pay attention to her? She’s one of the most introverted people I’ve met, she’d probably love you for staying in for once.”

“Oh.” Taking a bit of toast, he mulled it over. “Damn. I never thought about that. Thanks.”

“No problem.” He glanced at his phone. “I should get downstairs. I’ve got some orders to work on before I leave. Marigold’s coming in to run things today, so don’t worry about locking anything when you go.”

“Alright. Thanks, dude.” 

Leaf smiled softly at him, then headed downstairs. Chip continued eating, trying to calm the pain in his head. Once he was done, he pulled his phone out and, squinting at his too-bright screen, let Will know he was staying at Leaf’s a little longer. Then he pulled up his conversation with Olive and fired off a few texts.

[CHIP] hey  
[CHIP] so ive got a major wckdd hangover and im not gonna be a functional person by tonight  
[CHIP] wuld u be cool with just coming over to my dorm fr a movie?  
[OLIVE] of course! that would be great <3

He grinned and rolled his eyes. She was too cute.

[CHIP] see you then

With that, he set his phone aside and laid down. Hopefully, a quick nap would get him good enough to drive home and give him time to forget about the unfortunate events of this morning.

—————

Logainne was meeting her at three. Marcy checked her watch. Two fifty two. To pass the time, she sat down at the piano in the common room. A few people sitting in their perked up when they saw her, obviously knowing what was coming next. She pulled out her phone and opened her sheet music app.

She examined each title carefully. In the mood for something choral, she picked a Latin hymn. She started out murmuring the words under her breath, then slowly moved to singing aloud as she got into the groove of the piece.

_“Jubilate, exsultate. Jubilate deo. Jubilate, exsultate. Jubilate deo. Gaudeamus, gaudeamus, gaudeamus, hodie. Gaudeamus, gaudeamus… gaudeamus, gaudeamus, hodie.”_

Her focus slipped more toward playing and she stopped singing. Performing was the one thing she liked being good at. Everything else felt futile, but music… music left her feeling fulfilled. It made her happy.

Applause always surprised her. She wasn’t used to other people appreciating her performances. Usually she forgot she had an audience to play for, and those audiences were normally competition judges or her parents. Neither group was particularly known to lavish praise. So when she had realized she was free to play the piano in the common area, she made it a habit to perform, if only to push herself a little harder to improve. The attention she got was an added bonus.

Marcy checked the time on her phone as she walked away from the piano. Two fifty nine. From what she knew of Logainne, she should’ve already arrived. It was whatever. She wasn’t hung up on Logainne being a little late. A quick look outside of the main entrance showed no sign of her. She pulled out her phone.

[MARCY] u here?

Well, she might as well take a quick bathroom break before further investigation. Marcy pushed the door of the women’s restroom open. She immediately heard Logainne’s hushed voice reverberating throughout the bathroom.

“Olive, I don’t think I can handle this! I walked in and she was- Olive, this is a crisis!”

Intrigued, Marcy let the door shut silently behind her.

“She’s going to make me pass out! She sounds like a freaking angel and she plays so well! Mhm, exactly! I can’t function in circumstances like these, okay?”

Her heart almost melted. This girl was such an anxious sap, it was so cute to witness. She made a mental note to get Marigold something great for her upcoming birthday.

“You know how I am about piano playing. I’m going to die! …Yeah, I think I’m good now. Thanks, Olive. Have fun tonight. Bye.”

She realized that Logainne was mostly likely headed towards the exit. Marcy left swiftly and quietly, keeping her calm composure. To make sure Logainne didn’t know she had been listening in, she started off in the direction of the side entrance of the building. The bathroom door opened behind her. “Oh, Marcy! Hi, sorry, I just got your text.”

Marcy turned and started in her direction. “No worries. You’re fine.” They met halfway. Marcy took Logainne’s hand softly. “Nice to see you again,” she said, lacing their fingers together. She definitely noticed the slight red tint that Logainne’s face took on.

“So, uh, are we going to catch the show?”

“Of course. What kind of person would miss Seussical?” She watched Logianne’s reactions analytically, trying to judge her reactions as soon as possible. “But that’s later tonight. I thought we could maybe go into town for a bit, hang out a little beforehand.”

“Great! That sounds fantastic.”

Going off of Logainne’s expressions and body language, she meant it. Marcy wasn’t the most expressive person (resting bitch face to a fault, she liked to think of it), but even she had to smile at the utter adorableness that Logainne was. How had she gotten so lucky?

—————

With his headache thankfully gone, Chip frantically prepared his room to be seen by a girl.

“What’s the matter?” Will asked him from his desk chair. “You’ve wiped down the desk five fucking times in the last twenty minutes.”

“I’m panicking, dipshit!” Chip shot back. “Olive’s coming over to watch a movie and I don’t want her to think I live in a pigsty!”

Will raised an eyebrow. “We live in the same room, right? This is the neatest room in the wing. You’re absurdly clean, dude. Calm down.”

“I’ve never had a girl in the room with the lights on, Will. I don’t want her to dump me over a messy room!”

Will picked a rubix cube off his desk and fiddled with it. “Never seen you this worried over a girl before.”

“She’s my actual girlfriend! Not some girl that I fuck once or twice and then never talk to again. It’s just… different.”

“Eloquent.” Chip threw a rag at him. “Hey!”

“Shut up. Why don’t you go to the library? Maybe you’ll see the one girl who’s ever talked to you again.”

Will balled the rag up and threw it back at him. “Shut up.”

“I’m serious, Will. Olive’s coming over for a date in ten minutes. You need to make yourself scarce.” Chip checked his watch. “Fuck. Make that three minutes. Move, move, move.”

Will grudgingly stood up. “You owe me big time,” he muttered. “It’s my room too.” He grabbed his wallet and keys and left the room. On his way out of the building, he passed by a very familiar girl. He slowed his pace and watched her pass by.

Long brown hair. Lots of pink. Wait. That was the girl from the library! His desire to say something was overruled by his tendency to avoid starting conversations. Instead, he left the building, wondering why she was in his dorm. Maybe she lived there? Or she had a friend she was visiting? He wished he knew the reason. He wished he could muster up the nerve to say something. But she disappeared around the corner and the moment was gone all too soon.


	4. The One With the Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leaf is forced to acknowledge his not-so-happy memories of Chip.  
> Chip learns to accept help from people even if he doesn’t trust them that much.  
> Logainne helps Chip find a few books that put him on a path of self-discovery.  
> Will deals with a panicky and upset Chip after seeing some things he wasn’t meant to see.  
> Olive meets up with Will at the library again.  
> Marcy tries to teach her girlfriend how to kiss.

Marigold sat down at the table, lunch in hand. She sorted through the contents of the sack, making sure everything she ordered was there. Rice, orange chicken, sugar buns. Yep.

Leaf sat down across from her. “Ooh, Chinese!” Getting the hunt, Mari slid him the bag of sugar buns. “Thaaaanks,” he said, taking a few out. He slid the bag back over to her.

“How was your date with Briar yesterday?” She asked, opening the container of rice.

He took a bite of sugar bun and sighed happily. “I think I really like him, Mari. He’s sweet and nice and he likes me back.”

“That’s good.” She dug a plastic fork out of the bag and started eating. “I’m glad you’re putting yourself out there, instead of…”

“Instead of what?” He looked at her with frightening intensity, like he knew what she was going to say and was trying to discourage her. That was a look that was common in their family but not normally found on Leaf.

Mari wasn’t intimidated by her brother. He was a softie at heart, and he wasn’t someone to be scared of. “Instead of staying hung up on Chip for the rest of your life.”

“I’m not hung up on him, Mari! I was never into him.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

He nodded. “I’d be stupid to be into him. I’ve never seen him as more than a friend. Plus he’s two years younger!”

“Okay. Okay, then what I’m about to tell you is going to rock your world.” Swallowing the mouthful of food she had just taken, she set her fork down. “A few years ago, when we were working on business stuff, you had one of those movie nights, and even if you’re not into him now, I saw some things that definitely made it look like you loved him then.”

Leaf dropped his half-eaten sugar bun. “You know about that?” When she nodded, he frowned. “You’ve known the entire time? I thought… I thought that I was the only one that knew. He never said anything or acted different. And I thought you were gone. How much did you see?”

“Not much. Enough to know that you’ve been lying to a lot of us about how you feel.” She sighed. “Why don’t you tell me everything that happened that night? It might help to not be keeping this to yourself.”

He nodded once, opening his mouth hesitantly.

…… 

Chip entered the library with a mission in mind. He knew where the self-checkout was. He didn’t know where the section he had in mind was. But he was smart. He could find it.

Or…. maybe he couldn’t. How hard could it be to find a fucking book? He saw the worker at the checkout desk and was tempted to ask for help. Then he realized who it was and hurriedly turned away.

He was not going to ask Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre where the human sexuality section was. That was a level of humiliation he wasn’t about to endure. He turned back to the rows and rows of nonfiction to try and find something that could help him figure out what was going on with his life.

This wasn’t the first time he had questioned himself like this. He thought back to his senior year of high school, when he had been forced into a spiral of doubt and fear by one night. One night. Not a mistake, really, because he couldn’t find any part of him that regretted anything he had done.

Chip couldn’t even process the titles of the books he was in front of him anymore. His mind trailed off to a different place. 

…

It was spring break of his senior year. They were in Leaf’s little apartment back home, when he was cutting hair to make money while Marigold went to college. Chip had walked in to them discussing a plan for some business they were planning. The twins had stopped talking business pretty soon after he arrived. This was one of their first movie nights. 

The night had started out innocently enough. Leaf was using his new legality to buy alcohol, and Chip was more than happy to have a few drinks while hanging out with him. But one night, their talking turned to romance and dating, a treacherous topic.

“It’s stupid,” Chip said, taking another swing of beer. “You can spend money on a girl, and call her pretty, and have sex with her, and she never gives you a compliment back. Like, shit, I dunno, why can’t Rae just tell me I’ve got nice eyes or a cute face or some shit?”

Leaf snorted. “Damn. Get a boyfriend if it bothers you that much.”

“But I’m not gay!” He finished his drink and managed to set the bottle down without dropping it. “I like girls. I definitely like girls. Just want someone that says sweet shit to me.”

“Figured,” Leaf murmured. He finished off his drink. 

When he looked up, Chip had a weird expression on his face. He was suddenly curious about Leaf. Leaf was cute, he was willing to admit. He had a long, bony face, but it was definitely a lot more masculine than his twin’s. His gut wanted him to explore that face, smooth his fingers over his freckled skin. Leaf had had the worst acne in high school, and though a few scars remained, it had cleared away nicely. It was hard to believe Leaf was older than him. He still had such a kiddish face. Chip’s eyes zeroed in on his lips. A question floated up to the top of his mind: was kissing a guy like kissing a girl? Or was it something completely different? Obviously, he wasn’t attracted to Leaf, but that didn’t make him wonder any less.

Leaf giggled. “What’s with the face, dude?”

Chip licked his lips and leaned a little closer to him. “I’m straight,” he said absently, “and you’re a guy. But I kinda want to kiss you.” He hadn’t noticed that desire straight away. But the longer he stared, the more tantalizing Leaf looked.

Leaf grinned and rolled his eyes. “Okay, then go for it.” He obviously wasn’t expecting him to be serious.

Much to Leaf’s surprise, he was. He shifted closer to Leaf and leaned further in. He pressed his lips against Leaf’s. They stayed quiet for a minute after they parted, staring at each other. Chip could barely breath. He didn’t know what he was doing, or why he was doing it, or if Leaf had even enjoyed it.

“I’ve never kissed someone before,” Leaf said hesitantly.

“Really?” Chip asked. He was aching to touch Leaf. A small part of him felt a deep longing for him.

He nodded. “But I’m glad it was with you,” he added quietly.

Chip felt himself blushing. “You are?”

“ ‘F course. You got pretty eyes,” Leaf said. “And a cute face.”

His tipsy brain fumbled for a response and ended up pulling him in again. When they stopped to breath, he rested his forehead against Leaf’s. Something about this was perfect, and he wanted to live in this moment forever. He took a deep breath and kissed him again. This time, though, he took a chance and slipped his tongue through Leaf’s lips. Leaf moaned and placed his hand on the back of Chip’s neck. Chip leaned over him, his hand creeping under the hem of Leaf’s shirt.

Leaf pushed his face away suddenly. “We can’t do this,” he said.

“What?” Chip sat up. “W-why?”

“You got a girlfriend - or, well, whatever the hell Rae is to you. And you’re not gay.” Leaf tried and failed to sit up. “It’s a bad idea.”

“But I like kissing you.”

“Well, you can’t.” Leaf tried sitting up again, pushing Chip off of him this time. “We can’t do this. It’s bad. It’s wrong.”

He sat back against the far arm of the couch, his legs tangled with Leaf’s. “Is it? Nobody’s gotta know about this. I won’t tell nobody.”

“It doesn’t matter, Chip! It’s bad. Cheating on your girlfriend.”

“It’s a kiss. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“It means something to me!” Leaf curled up by his end. “It means something to me, Chip. I like you, and I know that you won’t ever like me back, so I don’t want my hopes up. We can’t do that again. Never.”

“...” He looked down at the couch. He didn’t realize he was hurting Leaf so badly. “M sorry. Stupid mistake. I shouldn’t‘ve said nothing.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you shouldn’t have.”

Chip’s stomach dropped. That sentence was so vicious. He felt guilty.

Leaf sat up. “I’m gonna get more to drink. Do you want anything?”

“Nother beer, pleeeeeease.” Leaf left the room and he curled up on the couch. Maybe if he got drunk enough he wouldn’t remember being this stupid. Saying anything about his weird feelings was a bad idea. It was a really bad idea. It was awhile before Leaf returned, giving him plenty of time for self pity. Chip saw the cup in his hand but focused on the beer bottle he was also holding. “Oh hey! My beer!” Leaf gave it to him and he flailed his hand around until he found the bottle opener. He couldn’t take the silence anymore. “Wanna watch tv?” He asked.

“Sure.”

Chip found the remote and turned the TV on. He absently flipped through channels as he sipped from his bottle. He settled on some weird documentary-esque show about some unsolved murder from decades ago with a low voice droning on and on and on.

He lost himself in the show for a long time. He broke away to take a drink and saw Leaf looking at him. It was painful. Leaf looked absolutely heartbroken, staring right at him. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said with a hesitant laugh. “You’re the one that made us stop.”

“You’re not the one that’s in love,” Leaf slurred back. “So shut up.”

He averted his eyes. “I’m sorry. It was stupid.” It was stupid, but… he was so fond of Leaf. They were good friends. Great friends. And he hated the fact that he was the one making him upset. A solution popped into his head. With a shy look back at Leaf, he asked, “... Is it cheatin if I hold you?”

“What?”

“You look sad.” He crept over and sat next to Leaf. “I wanna cuddle you til you feel better.” His arm slunk around Leaf’s waist and he pulled Leaf’s legs into his lap. Leaf conceded and leaned into him. Chip laid down next to him and pulled him close. Soon gentle snores filled his ears. He pressed a soft kiss to Leaf’s cheek and closed his eyes. Maybe this was weird, maybe he was drunk, but whatever this was... it was good.

…… 

“... And when I woke up, he was in the shower. I didn’t want to say anything in case he didn’t remember.” Leaf stared down at the table. “It’s not a stupid crush.”

“No, it’s not.” Marigold jabbed her fork into her container of chicken. “That gave you actual hope.”

“It hurts. I don’t know what would be worse, him using me to experiment or…” He gestured aimlessly. “I don’t know. I just want to forget it and be in love with Briar and only Briar, but I can’t. And I have to pretend like it didn’t happen, cause that would be a huge mess if he found out.”

Marigold tossed him the bag of sugar buns. “Here, you need these more than I do.”

He took another sugar bun and sighed. “It’s pathetic. Two years and I can’t stop thinking about him. I mean, I really like Briar, but there’s Chip, and I dunno, I don’t want to settle just because I can’t have him.”

“There’s nothing wrong with dating just to date, dude. Have fun with Briar. Who knows? Maybe you’ll finally get some.”

“Marigold!” He threw a bun at her.

She caught it and took a bite. “What? Leaf, bud, it’s about goddamn time you got some dating done. You’re a successful guy, and I know you love your work, but what happened to my sappy twin brother? You told me that you would be married by twenty five back when we were in high school.”

“I said a lot of stupid things back in high school. You shouldn’t take me so seriously.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, dude. Whatever you say.”

…… 

“...Excuse me? Do you need help finding something?”

Chip blinked and snapped her focus to the person who had just addressed him. Oh, shit. That was Logainne. “No, I’m fine, I just… got distracted.”

Logainne raised an eyebrow. “In front of the sexuality section? Is there something you need help finding?”

“No, really, I’m okay. In fact. I should probably-“

“Chip, I’m not going to start spreading rumors just because you asked me to help you find a book. If you don’t want help, then I’ll go. But if you’re genuinely trying to find something, I can help. It’s literally my job.”

He sighed and crossed his arms. “Okay, just don’t tell Olive. Please don’t tell Olive.”

“I won’t, I swear.”

“Scout’s honor?”

She about laughed. “That means nothing to anyone who isn’t a Boy Scout, Chip. How about I swear it on my steadfast integrity and my desire to help people?”

“That’ll do,” he grumbled.

“What book are you looking for?”

“I… I don’t have an actual book I’m looking for.” With a quick glance around to make sure no one was around them, he quietly asked, “Is there anything that talks about sexuality?”

Logainne pointed at the shelf of books in front of him.

He groaned. “I know that.”

“Context. What kind of sexuality stuff are you trying to find out?”

“Can I like girls and guys?” He asked, exasperated. “I’ve been having a helluva day and I know I’m not gay because I obviously like girls, but there’s this guy and I think I actually like him like that, but I don’t know why, and it’s been an ongoing crisis, and I’m talking too much so I’m going to shut up.”

Logainne took a moment before she responded. “Hang on a second.” She turned to the shelf and searched intently for the book she was thinking of. When she found it, she promptly handed it to him.

He turned the book over in his hands a few times and flipped through it. “Bisexuality: a critical reader.” He shot her a quizzical look. “Bisexuality?”

“Liking two or more genders.”

“There’s more than two?”

“We can discuss that later,” she said hurriedly. “Right now is just getting you some information about labels.” Logainne found another book and handed it to him. “This one’s less academic, but it’s got a lot of general information that can help you get a clearer understanding of different sexualities.”

“This Book is Gay,” he read. “Wow, never would’ve guessed with all the rainbow on the cover. Anything else you’re going to give me?”

“Now?” She shook her head. “This’ll keep it simple. I think bisexual is what you’re looking for.”

Chip nodded. “Thanks, Logainne.”

Noticing the look of concern on his face, she quietly said, “Don’t stress too much over telling Olive. I won’t tell her, but she won’t get upset with you.”

He sighed again. “It’s more than that. Not, not anything that I want to share, but it’s not just telling Olive.”

“It’s okay. I don’t expect you to tell me every single detail. It’s just my duty as a library worker to help you find books and my duty as GSA president to make you feel accepted and help you find resources.”

“You know, you’re not all that bad, Schwartz,” he said with a hesitant smile. “I’m, uh, gonna go check these out now.”

“Well, you can’t really take them without doing that, so that’s good.”

They smiled awkwardly at each other and parted ways. Logainne headed to her seat at the checkout counter and Chip headed toward the self checkout.

————

“What’s got your dick in a twist?” Will asked as he entered the room.

Chip hurriedly shut the book he was reading and slid it under the covers. “What?”

“You look pissed. What were you reading?”

“Nothing. Just something for class.” He subtly slid it further under the covers.

Will glanced at Chip’s desk as he walked to his bed. He noticed the rainbow striped book sitting on it. “What’s this?” He turned the book so he could read the cover. “This Book Is Gay… what?”

Chip tripped over himself trying to get over to the desk. “Shut up shut up shut up it’s nothing! Will, I’m gonna fucking fight-“

Will stepped back, holding his hands up in defense. “I won’t say a thing. It’s cool. I don’t care about your personal life. I never saw it.”

Eyeing him suspiciously, Chip grabbed it and held it protectively. “Yeah, you didn’t.”

“I was just dropping by to get my laptop. I’ll leave you to… whatever you were doing.” Will grabbed his laptop off of his bed and headed back out of the room. Chip hesitantly fished the other book out from under his covers and continued reading.

————

“Hi, Will!” Olive said, setting her stuff down at the table. “Got that draft finished?”

He nodded and swiveled his laptop around to face her. “Hopefully it all makes sense this time around.” As she read through, he tapped his foot anxiously. Eventually, he opened a book and read to pass the time.

Olive finally turned the laptop back to him. “Here, I highlighted a few sentences that need split up. You also might want to try different phrasing or different words or something because you keep repeating things over and over. It’s too repetitive.”

“I know what repetitive means,” he said. Then he saw the way Olive’s expression changed and freaked out. “Sorry. I meant, I was just trying to say-“

“It’s fine,” she said quickly. “No big deal. I’d just recommend changing those to make the paper flow better. Other than that, it’s good to go.”

“Thanks.” They spent the next several minutes in highly uncomfortable silence. He typed away, trying to ignore the fear that he was going to lose yet another chance at making a friend.

Olive’s phone buzzed. She quickly grabbed it and checked her notifications.

[CHIP] hey, can we talk? not like over the phone, but in person?

Her heart started pounding in her chest. Talk about what? What did that mean? She fired off a text, trying to keep her worry under lock and key.

[OLIVE] sure! where are we meeting at?  
[CHIP] can I come over to your dorm? if that’s okay w you  
[OLIVE] of course!  
[CHIP] can I come over now? I feel like the sooner we talk the better  
[OLIVE] that’s fine. see you soon <3

She sighed and turned her phone off. “Sorry, Will. I have to go. I need to talk to my boyfriend about… something. You can email me or text me if you need anything else with your paper.”

“Oh. No problem. Thank you.”

Olive was gone in a flash. Will shook his lingering stare and turned back to his computer. Maybe he hadn’t completely screwed over his chance at friendship.

————

“Marcy, could I ask you something? Not, not about like, us. I’ve just got something that’s really bothering me.”

She nodded and draped her legs across Logainne’s lap. “Of course, Schwartzy.”

Logainne hesitantly rested a hand on Marcy’s ankle. “Let’s day I helped a… friend of mine find out something about himself. And let’s say this friend is dating another friend, and I promised him I wouldn’t tell his girlfriend.” She traced her fingertips up and down the side of Marcy’s calf. “But this thing is something that I’m worried is going to ruin their relationship.”

“Is this about Chip being bi? He texted me yesterday to ask me a few things related to that.” She played with Logainne’s braid. “I hate to say it, but I don’t think he’s aiming at being with your roommate much longer. He was asking about Leaf a lot.” With a shrug, she dropped the braid. “I mean, it sucks for Olive. But Chip was freaked out about the whole situation. So if it’s any consolation, it’s not easy for him.”

She sighed. “I know it’s not, but I just… I was worried about this.”

“About him having a sexuality crisis?”

“No, not that.” Logainne circled her thumb against Marcy’s skin. “You know. Chip breaking her heart and just being him no matter what. I knew it was going to happen.”

“Look, I’ve known that kid for a long time. We may not be friends, but he’s not the hardest person to read. He’s really upset and he’s not using your friend or anything.” She nudged Logainne softly. “Come on, Schwartz. He’s stupid, not malicious.”

Logainne laughed softly. “I’m worrying too much about this, aren’t I?”

She nodded. “Just a bit.”

“Sorry, I just…” She made an explosive gesture. “Get like that about a lot of things. Comes with the anxiety.”

“It’s okay. But, maybe we can move the subject to a different relationship. Us.” She moved one leg and settled in Logainne’s lap. “Namely, why there’s so much talking right now.”

“...Because it’s a conversation?” Marcy’s hand traced the curve of her jawline and she realized what she meant. “Oh!”

“Yeah,” Marcy murmured, rolling her eyes. “Dork.” She pecked Logainne’s nose. “If I remember correctly, I promised to teach you the basics of kissing because you said-“

“That I don’t have a clue about how to do it,” she finished, her cheeks taking on a slightly flushed tone.

Marcy nodded. “The only proper lesson is experience, so let’s get to it.” She leaned toward Logainne. “It’s nothing to be nervous about.”

“Okay.” Even with that in mind, she couldn’t help leaning back when Marcy leaned in to meet her. When Marcy sat up and raised an eyebrow at her, she got flustered. “Sorry, I’m just, I don’t think I’m, it’s kind of scary, and I, well, I think-“

She fell silent when Marcy pressed a finger against her lips. “It’s fine. Maybe you’re just not ready. We can do this some other time.”

“Some other time,” she agreed. Relief washed over her when the door swung open.

“Oh, is this a bad time?” Olive asked.

Marcy settled back onto the bed. “No,” she said, voice returning to its normal monotony. “You can come in.”

Olive walked in and set her purse on the desk. “It’s just, Chip wanted to talk to me about something and I didn’t realize you two were here.”

“It’s fine,” Marcy said. She gave Logainne a short peck on the cheek and stood up. “I should be going.”

“Bye,” Logainne said. Her eyes followed Marcy as she left the room.

Olive frowned. “Something wrong?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll get going so you can talk to your boyfriend about... whatever.” She grabbed her wallet from the desk and quickly left, leaving Olive alone.


End file.
